This present invention generally relates to apparatus and techniques for streaming media distribution via computer networks. More particularly, the present invention provides a system and a method for maintaining and sharing lists of selected media sources. Merely by way of example, the present invention is implemented on a personal computer, but it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability. The invention can be applied to other computing devices, such as cellular phones, internet appliances, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, set top boxes, television, wireless devices, and the like.
A long time ago, music could only be heard at a live performance. Here, a performer would stand in front of an audience and sing a piece in a manner to please the audience. xe2x80x9cStar Spangled Bannerxe2x80x9d would echo out to the audience. The live performer could only sing so loud to carry his/her audio signals out to the audience. Only a limited number of people could actually enjoy and listen to the performer at the live performance. One would find the performer in a park or theater singing a musical piece to a limited number of people. Musicians who played instruments could also be heard only at a live performance. Sounds from piano, trumpets, and drums would ring out! The beat of drums! Piano keys! Ring from trumpets sound out!-only as far as the sounds travel through air. Accordingly, only live performances could be used for people to enjoy music.
As time progressed, radio replaced, in part, some aspects of the live performances. Radio uses a wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electric waves, which travel through air. By way of radio, audio information from sounds or songs would be transmitted from a broadcasting station to numerous radio receiving units, commonly called radios. These radios would tune into one of a plurality of broadcasting stations, which transmitted audio information from the station to each of the radios within a specific geographic region. High school students tuned into stations on a frequency modulated format called xe2x80x9cFMxe2x80x9d to listed to jazz, rock, country, and pop music. Amplitude modulated formats, commonly called xe2x80x9cAM,xe2x80x9d often transmitted signals more efficiently over longer distances than FM. Since the electronic waves traveled through air, transmission distance was still limited, often to geographical regions.
In the 1990""s, computers were coupled to each other through a world wide area network, commonly the Internet. The Internet revolutionized communication throughout the world. These computers began carrying audio information from a source location to a destination or client. Some source locations began transmitting audio information in the form of songs or sounds to destination locations. Unfortunately, most of these source locations failed to provide an easy to use interface device, which allowed users to freely use such audio information. In most cases, such sources provided Internet radio by merely providing source addresses, such as http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/ram/live13 infent.ram, which would make it difficult to easily reach many channels in an efficient manner.
From the above, it is seen that an improved way to transmit radio station information is highly desirable.
According to the present invention, a technique including a method and system for storing lists of streaming media sources is provided. More particularly, the invention provides a server-side method for allowing different users to access different lists of streaming media sources using the same client software. Merely by way of example, the present invention is implemented on a personal computer, but it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability. The invention can be applied to other computing devices, such as cellular phones, internet appliances, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, set top boxes, game consoles such as Sony Playstation2, Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft X Box, Nintendo, and the like, television, wireless devices, and the like.
According to an aspect of the invention, a method for a computer system having a display, an audio output device, and a user input device is disclosed. The method includes displaying a graphical user interface on the display, the graphical user interface including a tuning portion and a first user-selectable icon, receiving a first user selection on the display, the first user selection of the tuning portion, and determining a selection of a pre-defined identifier in response to the first user selection. The technique may also include identifying a streaming media source in response to the pre-defined identifier, outputting streaming media data from the streaming media source to the audio output device, and receiving a second user selection on the display, the second user selection of the first user-selectable icon.
Determining a selection of a new identifier in response to the second user selection and associating the new identifier with the streaming media source are also performed. Thereafter, the method may include receiving a third user selection on the display, the third user selection of the tuning portion, determining another selection of the new identifier in response to the third user selection, and identifying the streaming media source in response to the another selection of the new identifier. Thereafter the step of outputting additional streaming media data from the streaming media source to the audio output device may be performed.
According another aspect of the invention, a computer server having a processor includes a tangible media coupled to the processor. The tangible media includes an association among a new identifier, a pre-defined identifier, and a profile identifier from a first client computer. The tangible media also includes code that directs the processor to receive the profile identifier from a second client computer, code that directs the processor to receive the new identifier from the second client computer, the new identifier determined in response to a first user selection of a graphical user interface on a display of the second client computer, the graphical user interface including a tuning portion, the first user selection of the tuning portion, code that directs the processor to retrieve the pre-defined identifier in response to the profile identifier and the new identifier, and code that directs the processor to determine the uniform resource locator for the streaming media source in response to the pre-defined identifier; and code that directs the processor to send the uniform resource locator to the second client computer.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method for a computer system includes sending a request to a computer server, the request comprising an identifier associated with a first user and tuning data, the tuning data comprising a band selection and a channel selection, the tuning data determined in response to input from a second user of a tuner portion of a remote tuner coupled to the computer system, and receiving a network address of a streaming media source from the computer server in response to the request, the network address determined in response to the identifier associated with the first user and the tuning data determined in response to the input from the second user. The technique may also include requesting streaming media data from a content server at the network address, decoding the streaming media data received from the content server to form a stream of audio data, and outputting the audio data to speakers coupled to the computer system.
Various additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention can be more fully appreciated with reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings that follow.